Emery Gulash, Morning Sun Books
(§}·THE ST. LOUIS·
RAILWAY ENTHUSIASTS, INC
. =-.-...-:=----=--'=:.:..:.. c== -- --· ...-·---
NOVEMBER 2022
Randolph & Wells, Sept. 9, 1960 Al Holtz photo
Mark D. Goldfeder, President, 1064 Ferngate Lane, St. Louis, MO 63141-6130,(314) 878-2786 Steven P.
Binning, Vice-Pres, 341 Charlottesville, St. Charles,MO63304-1038,(314) 537-7162 Kelvin K. Wilke,
Secretary, 1615 Ridgeview Tr., Fenton, MO 63026-XXXX,{636) 600-1132_
Charles D. Dasho, Prog ms 6543 Chippewa, Apt.406 St Louis MO 63109 (21i-f) i� ?$'ff
David J. Neubauer, Editor Emeritus., Villages of St Peters- 'oe\ w- {636) 447-6358
Thomas Konieczny, Cq_ntrib-Ed.,2101 Mathilda Dr., Belleville, ll 62226-7357, (618)235-1309
.A - rnV:G!'. Sisl<,. ... _fef,t.or 720 Angenette Av_ ..'.'- w.oruLM0.63122-6222, {314)484-1592
David J.Neubauer, 5400 Executive Centre Pkwy, St Peters MO 63376 Sisk: asisk@sbcglobal.ne.t
To obtain or renew membership send a check for $20 made out to St. Louis Railway Enthusiasts
c/o 'Mark Goldfeder, President, address above. Membership Year runs September-August.
NO DUES NOTICES ARE SENT OUT I STAND BY FOR ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MARK OF MEETINGS.
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022 Pg. 2 Welcome to
the November (4th of 4 in 2022) issue of Whistle Talk. I have only a smattering of rail news for St
Louis, so perhaps you'll forgive me if we take a trip uptoChicago for much of our content. It is,
after all, where my railfanning
impulses "crystalized'' into a passion - and perhaps many of you had the same experience.
First, however, some news on St Louis. The UP recently concluded a grade crossing replacement
program that extended from St Louis City to Pacific. It was quite a show at the Kirkwood Depot for
a few evenings. I went there one afternoon to see 318 (the train from Chicago) pull through, while
Track One was down for construction. Not long afterwards we heard from the track gang that Amtrak
had struck and killed someone. It was that teenaged boy by Castlewood State Park. What a shame;
probably ear-buds to blame. Meanwhile, the only remaining track was tied up by this for 3-1/2
hours, ruining train and crew dispatchers' plans.
¥Joe Edwards offered some news that car 003 will be ready for operation this coming Spring, and
that with all three cars available to run, it will be "fantastic". I wonder if that means they will
runtwo at a time, so that headways are½ hour, not an hour's wait? There's no schedule, no number to
call to ask, no Automatic Vehicle Locater on the car by which one can trace the cars via a phone
app, so all we can do is just wait for the next car (or, catch it at the start). See you in April.
Joe also hopes for development to occur on Delmar east of the Wabash Station, particularly when
Washington University recognizes that station's (which it owns) potential as "the gateway" to the
area.
Steve Siegerist informs that on the Monday after Thanksgiving Metro will return to its "pre-flood"
operations. Red Line trains will run from Lambert to Shiloh; Blue Line trains will run from
Shrewsbury to Fairview Heights.
A few of you may have known Keith Sherman; he just passed (11/18). Keith was apparently active in
getting the KCS Holiday Train to visit his area (he lived in Godfrey); this year it will come only
as far as Roodhouse on December 13 at 4pm. This may be our last chance to see it, before the CPKC
merger takes effect sometime in early 2023.
The CN has pressed for trackage rights across MO on the former (underutilized) GM&O line (now KCS).
It makes sense as a way to reduce Chicago congestion by spreading the load. CN says it would
restore its line from Springfield north - but some companies promise but do not deliver.
Jaguar Holding Company just spent $1M to improve the tracks of the Missouri Eastern (formerly MO
Central). Its locomotives are still in UP paint, however (with MERR stenciled on).
..J,,1'mstill waiting for the Mayor of St Louis to commit using some of their Rams-resettlement
money to bring our Gateway
1' Station downtown up past second-class conditions. Meanwhile, how pitiful of Amtrak to dismiss
long-distance trains as
an "experience" that is not real. It seems that most national planners' philosophy is that life
only happens on corridors.
Dave Neubauer, aka the Energizer Bunny, has bounced back from another visit to DePaul to clean out
his (re-infected) shoulder. Yet another "temporary" spacer was installed, but the doctor hopes that
this Spring, he'll get his new shoulder joint. Then he may be able to move into a situation where
he could have a computer, and finally email us!
Wally Dittrich is apparently having a rough go of it, with memory issues following his heart
attack, so again send your dues payment to Mark Goldfeder, our president (address on cover).
Meanwhile, Mark announces an arrangement with SLRE Ken Rimmel who is active at the Big Bend RR Club
(former Frisco Station in Webster on Big Bend with an O-scale two-rail layout). The St Louis
Railways Enthusiasts will be able to gather in their meeting room on the second Thursday of the
month (usually a WB BNSF on Thursday eves to go by). Mark will call our regular attendees with
details to follow.
In the meantime, Jim Doerr invites us to his annual NRHS/SLRE Christmas party at the Genesis
Banquet Center on Telegraph Road. This will be the last time that we will meet there, with their
great food and service - they are closing at the end of the year. In lieu of having an SLRE
Christmas dinner party at Pietro's, Mark invites us to join with the Truck Club of St Louis at
Pietro's in their Holiday luncheon on Saturday 10 December, noon-4pm. Call Mark to reserve.
One last word, SLRE Jerry Peters died on Nov.14ᵗʰ, aged 98. A dear guy with a true love for RRs. He
was with the US Army railroad in Germany, and then with thefounding of NMOT. Go to Berger Memorial
for more info.
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK
November, 2022
)f'- L-'--2
Norman Carlson
Pg. 3
A RICH RAIL TRANSIT HISTORY by Norman Carlson, Metra Board, Transit consultant, editor First &
Fastest From Railway Age, September 2022
In his on-line article "Happy 75ᵗʰ, CTA", Contributing Editor David Peter Alan makes reference to
CTA's Skokie Swift, now known as the Yellow Line, as the last remnant of the Chicago North Shore &
Milwaukee Railroad. Also, there were the South Shore Line, now owned and operated by the Northern
Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), and the Chicago Aurora & Elgin. Collectively they
were known as Chicago's Big Three electric interurban railways.
For those who remember the North Shore, it is hard to accept that it has been 60 years since the
last trains pulled into their terminals around #:00 a.m. on Jan. 21, 1963. Marketing itself as The
Road of Service, the North Shore operating culture was speed and efficiency. The balancing speed
of the trains operating as Milwaukee Limiteds was between 80 and 83 mph. Unlike any other
interurban, dining service was offered from shortly after Milwaukee service began in 1908 until
abandonment in 1963.
Their trainmen's philosophy was "get them off, get them on, get out of town." Coming into a station
was a combination of smells and sounds: ozone from the traction motors, hot lubricating oil,
squealing brake shoes on steel wheels, thumping air compressors, grinding gears on the traction
motors, step traps slammed against the doors and the exhausts of the air brakes. Passengers got on
and off quickly. Then it was two bells and the slamming of the traps hitting the floor as the train
accelerated. Station stops were a matter of seconds. On the North Shore, there were no speed
limits, only speed restrictions. Motormen ran trains with the controller "on the rass" (full
parallel), with heavy
service applications for braking. When asked how can you run 85 mph with trolley poles, reportedly,
the railroad responded no one told us we couldn't do it.
Adding to North Shore's legend were the literally millions of Navy and Army recruits that rode the
railroad. The railway served Naval Station Great Lakes and Fort Sheridan. And then there were the
Electroliners, which entered service early in 1941.
These two four-unit articulated streamlined trainsets made five fo the 17 daily limited train trips
in each direction between Milwaukee and Chicago. They were famous for their Electroburgers, a
well-seasoned beef patty marinated in
.--Worcestershire sauce, grilled on plate that gave t em a distinctive taste.
an induction
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022 Pg. 4 •
Served with chips and an adult beverage, they were a delightful Friday dinner along with a train
ride from Milwaukee.
Of course, on the return trip the bar was open. Speaking of the bar being open, in North Shore's
final days, the drinking
; ge in_lllino_is was 21 while in Wisconsin it was 18. As far as the bartender was concerned, the
train was in Wisconsin for its entire trip.
For the military, there were weekend specials from the military bases on Saturdays and Sundays.
Fleets of trains would make morning departures to Chicago with a smaller number of trains to
Milwaukee in addition to the regular service.
The extra trains would return in the late afternoon and well into the evenings. While known as
military specials on the railroad, their more common name for the Great Lakes trains was Swabby
Specials. This in part explains why North Shore's legend extended far beyond its service territory.
Over the decades, there was considerable commonality between the Big Three and the Chicago Rapid
Transit Company (CRT) and later CTA. All three interurbans reached downtown Chicago on trackage
rights, North Shore and CA&E on CRT, later CTA, while the South Shore ';JSed Illinois Central and
now Metra Electric. At one time, the Big Three and CRT along with electric and gas utilities in
Northern Illinois and throughout Indiana were entities within a corporate conglomerate controlled
by Samuel lnsull. Incredibly, CRT was a subsidiary of Commonwealth Edison (CE), the electric
utility serving most of the Chicago region.
Chicago's local transit systems, including the street railways, were financially challenged during
most of tehir existence. This was of great concern to Sam lnsull. The so-called "traction load,",
the electrical demand of electrified railways, was the base load that provided economic
justification for the investment in significant expansion of lnsull's companies electric generating
capacity in Illinois and Indiana. To protect this investment, lnsull became involved in the
attempts to financially organize Chicago's rapid transit and interurban companies as early as 1901.
lnsull's Empire collapsed in the Great Depression. North Shore did not emerge from bankruptcy until
1946.
The Post-World War II expansion of automobile ownership and limited access highways was the mortal
blow for the CA&E and North Shore. Neither of these railways recovered their cost of capital. New
rolling stock and infrastructure investments were out of the question. The South Shore Line
survived as one of the last interurbans in America due to its significant freight traffic and being
located in the heavily industrialized area of Northwest Indiana. CA&E's passenger service was
abruptly suspended shortly after noon on July 3, 1957, stranding passengers at their destination.
As noted,
the North Shore Line was abandoned in 1963.
Recognition of the commuter railroads' financial crisis began in the 1950s with the Long Island
Rail Road and quickly spread throughout the East Coast. CA&E's abandonment caught the attention of
a few people in Washington, D.C. Perhaps because of its relationship with the military, North
Shore's abandonment caught the attention of many more people in Washington.
In 1963, the Chicago Transit Authority proposed a plan to provide nonstop high-speed shuttle
service between the main line rapid transit station at Howard Street at the north city limit of
Chicago and Dempster Street in Skokie, a distance of five miles. CTA, working with the Village of
Skokie, applied for a federal grant to pay two-thirds of the cost for a two year demonstration
project. CTA and the Village split the remaining one-third of the cost. Service began in April 1964
and was a resounding success. Originally named Skokie Swift, it is now CTA's Yellow Line. The late
George Krambles (1915-1999), who retired as CTA's Executive Director, was the project director. The
North Shore operated this segment of railroad for 37 years, while CTA has run it for 58 years and
counting.
In George's words; "Although it remains one of the world's smallest rapid transit routes, Skokie
Swift's success encouraged the creation of local, state and federal programs to assist transit
capital projects elsewhere. It helped set the pattern for the many new-start rail systems, becoming
really the first of the modern light rail transit lines without
ever knowing the name!"
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022 Pg. 5
Metrolink passing the former Wabash Turntable in Jan., 2010 (during Vandeventer Bridge
replacement). That turntable recently went to U.S. Sugar near Lake Okeechobee, Florida.
HUB OF THE MIDWEST By David Peter Alan, Contributing Editor, Railway Age (excerpted)
....With the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and its eight-line local rail system, Metra trains
throughout Chicagoland, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District South Shore Line to
Indiana, and more than a dozen Amtrak corridor-length and long-distance routes, Chicago and the
region present a variety fo rail experiences and useful mobility for residents and visitors alike.
Since its founding almost 200 years ago, Chicago has exhibited a gritty, "get-it-done" character.
More than a century ago, poet Carl Sandburg described it as the "Player with Railroads and the
Nation's Freight Handler" and the "hog Butcher for the World." Chicagoans do pretty well with
cattle, too. Italian beef is the city's signature sandwich.
It's not just freight. People go to Chicago and get around there by rail, too. The city is known
for its museums and other cultural institutions, as well. It is also famous for its classic
downtown buildings and other historic neighborhoods.
It's not just people who came from Europe who give Chicago its diversity. During the period of the
Great Migration, African American Southerners escaped the misery they were enduring in that region
and gave Chicago's South Side some additional Southern flavor. If they came from New Orleans,
Jackson or Memphis, they might have made the one way trip on the Illinois Central, the route of
Amtrak's City of New Orleans today.
Chicago also has a neighborhood called Pilsen, but the heritage of its inhabitants is that of
Mexico, not the Czech Republic. Put it all together, and Chicago is an interesting place to visit,
while millions choose to live there.
I first visited Chicago in 1969. I wanted to experience the rail scene, and I took Penn Central's
old Lakeshore Limited, which had temporarily lost its official name at the time. I got off at the
old South Bend Union Station and waked a few blocks to catch the South Shore Line on its
street-running track on LaSalle Street. Less than a year later, the downtown
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022
track was gone. When I arrived in the Windy City, I caught a train of 1920s-vintage 4000-series
cars on the CTA's
c.
I 6• V
Evanston Express. At that time, there were no stops between the Loop and Howard Avenue on the North
Side, and the conductor came around to collect an extra fare. We dropped coins into a device he
held in his hand, and it rang a bell.
There was a lot more passenger rail activity at the time, run by a large number of railroads.
According to an Official Guide from that time, there were nine railroads running commuter or other
regional service (now Metra on the Illinois side), 10 running corridor-length routes, and another
11 running long-distance trains, with several routes running more than one daily frequency. Some
long-distance trains ran over track on several railroads during the pre-Amtrak era, too. There is
much less passenger rail activity now than there was then, but Metra keeps local service going,
while Amtrak runs six corridor-length routes and eight long-distance routes., six of which run
daily at this writing. Chicago still has more passenger rail activity than most cities, and you can
still take Amtrak there from 262 other places.
To get around the city, visitors and Chicagoans alike use the CTA. The agency is celebrating its
75ᵗʰ anniversary on Oct. 1. Transit in Chicago ges back much further, though. Chicago's famous
elevated (or "L") lines were built in the 1890s, and the South Side Elevated Railroad took visitors
to the Columbian Exposition in 1893, one year late to celebrate the 400ᵗʰ anniversary of
Christopher Columbus's first voyage. Today's system has eight lines, reaching as far north as
Evanston (home of Northwestern university), as far west as Oak Grove (famous for buildings designed
by Frank Lloyd Wright) and as far south as 95ᵗʰ Street, with an extension planned that would take
the Red Line to 130ᵗʰ Street, as part of the CTA's "Red Ahead" program.
Chicago is the only city in the nation with elevated lines running downtown. Nowhere else can a
"local" or visitor sit on the train and watch buildings go by from the level of the third floor.
Lake Street, Wells Street, Van Bren Street and Wabash Avenue are the streets under the Loop, where
trains first ran in 1897, and which forms part of most of the CTA's lines. The Loop is a tourist
attraction in its own right, and has been a part of Chicago's cultural history and lore ever since.
Legendary jazz cornet player Bix Beiderbecke formed a band with Frankie "Tram" Trumbauer and some
of his other friends in 1927, and called it the Chicago Loopers, even though they were playing in
New York at the time. In the Windy City itself, Bix was known to have jammed with Louis Armstrong
and other New Orleans greats, even though they were not in a position to play gigs together due to
the segregated nature of much of the music business at the time.
The CTA extends beyond the Chicago city limits in places like Evanston and Skokie to the north and
Oak Park to the west. There is much more to Chicagoland, as the locals call it, and Metra trains go
to those towns. Metra is a large system, the result of consolidating local services that were once
operated by eight different railroads. Metra operates trains on several different railroads today,
by contract. They include BNSF (historic Burlington Route) and Union Pacific (historic C&NW). Other
Metra lines run on former railroads (historic Milwaukee Road and Rock Island). Metra stays within
the State of Illinois, except for a few trains on the UP North Line that venture up to Kenosha,
Wise. Only the three lines to the South Side that were historically operated by the Illinois
Central are electrified.
Schedules vary greatly between lines...Three lines run during commuting-peak hours only. The
smallest amount of service runs on the Heritage Corridor to Joliet, historically part of the Alton
Railroad (and before that, C&A, after Alton, GM&O ed.) and running near the route of the Illinois
and Michigan Canal. The line hosts only three commuter trains into Chicago in the morning and back
to Joliet in the late afternoon (following the GM&O's "The Plug" service which used heavyweight
cars to its end - ed.), although Amtrak uses the route for the Texas Eagle and Lincoln Service
trains to St. Louis....
...Metra has not followed the lead of the MBTA in Boston of increasing mid-day and evening service
while running fewer trains during historic peak-commuting hours. On weekends, the standard is every
two hours, similar to Boston and now Philadelphia, but less than the hourly service typical of the
New York area....
There is one line between Chicago and the Hoosier State: the NICTD South Shore Line...There is not
much service, trains only run every two hours or less to and from Michigan City outside
peak-commuting hours, although there are a few that only run between Chicago and Gary....There are
only five daily trains to South Bend...(that)...go to the airport...
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022 Pg. 7
Indiana's only recent state-supported train, Amtrak's four-day-a-week Hoosier State, was
discontinued in 2019, when the state killed its funding. It ran between Chicago and Indianapolis on
the four days a week that the Cardinal, running through West Virginia and Virginia mostly on the
historic Chesapeake & Ohio route, did not. The South Shore Line is planning to build a new branch
from Hammond to Dyer, which is on the Cardinal route. Advocates at the Indiana Passenger Rail
Alliance (IRPA) hope to see a "Hoosier Corridor" with more-frequent service to Indianapolis, while
avoiding the (convoluted, multi-RR -ed.) Amtrak route to Union Station. They also hope that trains
will someday run to Cincinnati, Louisville and even Nashville.
The State of Illinois, through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), remains a leader
in running intrastate corridors through Amtrak. There are currently three routes in operation.
Lincoln Service trains run four times a day between Chicago and St Louis, on UP (the historic Alton
Route) through Springfield and Lincoln (a town that was named after Abraham Lincoln before he
became President). The Texas Eagle also runs on that route. At this writing, Amtrak has suspended
one round trip CHI-STL. * (Fifth train, the 4:35am STL departure, to be restored Dec.2022-ed.)
On the normal schedule, there are also two round trips between Chicago and Carbondale on CN
(historic Illinois Central route), along with the City of New Orleans. At this writing, one of
those round trips is suspended. * (To be restored Dec.2022-ed.) The line serves Southern Illinois
University in Carbondale and the University of Illinois at Urbana via a local bus from Champaign.
The third Illinois operation runs between Chicago and Quincy, on the Mississippi River. There are
two round trips per day on that route.
Illinois and Wisconsin combine to run service to Milwaukee seven times a day (six on weekends).
There is an additional train from Chicago on Friday nights that returns from Milwaukee early on
Saturday mornings. There are efforts to add three daily frequencies to the schedule, but local
opposition along the part of the line in Illinois is holding up the increase. Other trains go from
Chicago to Michigan. There are three daily round trips on the Wolverine route to Pontiac, through
Detroit on the historic Michigan Central route. Another trains, the Blue Water, splits from the
Detroit service at Kalamazoo and goes to Port Huron the historic grand Trunk Western route, part of
CN. There was once a through train between Chicago and Toronto, using CN in Canada, but there is no
longer any connection between the Amtrak side the VIA rail side in Ontario.+ (CP has proposed
restoring pax svc CHI-Toronto via its tunnel link - ed.) The other train is the Pere Marquette to
Grand Rapids, a single daily frequency, named for the railroad that was named for the French
explorer.
The roster of Amtrak's long-distance trains serving Chicago has not changed in years...the Empire
Builder...the California Zephyr...the Southwest Chief ..the Texas Eagle...the Capitol Limited...and
the Lake Shore Limited (NY & BOS}. The Cardinal to DC and New York still runs on the tri-weekly
schedule, as it has for more than 40 years. The City of New Orleans will return from five days a
week to daily operation on October 2....
Still, Chicago is interesting, historic and full of museums and neighborhoods worth visiting. You
can still get there by train from a lot of other places around the country, and there is plenty of
transit to get you around the city and Chicagoland on the CTA and Metra. The rail scene may not be
quite as interesting as it was a half-century ago, but the Loop with its downtown "L" trains is
still unique.
AUTO TRAIN NORTH DURING APRIL -An official trip report, by Walter E. Zullig Jr. (excerpted)
....The procedure is for the booth agent to ask your name, bring up the reservation on the computer
and then put a magnetic sign on the driver's door with a number. Then you drive to one of the three
receiving lanes where you leave the auto in Amtrak's custody while a claim agent videos all angles
of the car.
....The train (at Sanford, FL) seemed to be open around 2:15 so we went out and boarded our car
which was the second car back from the engines. Once settled into our room I went outside to get
the full consist. At Sanford the coaches are on an adjacent stub end as the platform isn't long
enough to hold the entire train. I returned to the room just as the switcher was ready to move the
coaches to the rear of the train. Dinner choices were 5 or 7 (with 6 o'clock already full) so we
opted for 5 and both ordered the flat iron steak. Just as on the southbound trip during February
passengers were served in their rooms with delivery in a big plastic bag and everything disposable.
The dinners came about 5 along with
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022
Pg.8
the wine and desserts. The meals were quite good but we don't enjoy easting in our room with
plastic covers and utensils. The train was sold out but in the past they were able to accommodate
everyone in the dining car with overflow into the adjacent lounge car which has six tables at one
end. Perhaps the "room service" is due to crew shortage or to the belief once expressed by Amtrak's
former president that "millennials don't like to be seated with strangers." Not many
millennials on this train though.
I always enjoy a drink before a trip like this so asked the car attendant if I could get one in the
nearby first class lounge. No, just as on the southbound trip that car was unattended so I would
have to walk 9 cars forward to the "Cross Country Cafe" in the coach section. So I did that only to
be told "We're not ready yet; come back in 5 to 10 minutes." After sitting in that car for 15
minutes I inquired again and was told they still were not open. No needing alcohol that badly I
walked back the 9 cards to our room. The car attendant later told me the reason for the unstaffed
lounge car is a shortage of personnel; a class of 10 now is underway. On problem has been that some
of the new hires fail the drug test, as sad
reflection on today's society.
During this time the train was put together, brake test conducted and we departed Sanford at
3:58pm. With a train of this length coming off a branch line the acceleration is slow but once on
the main line for a few miles we attained track speed. Soon the conductor made the traditional
announcement with vital statistics: 533 passengers on board with 282 in coach and 251 in sleepers.
There were 311 vehicles in the auto-carrying cars. We passed the "bigcurve" in Jacksonville at 6:38
and Folkston, GA at 7:20 where 5 people were on hand with cameras. The motion of the train made us
sleepy so we asked for the beds to be made up around 9:45 and were off to sleep shortly thereafter.
I slept well through the night and woke up as we were passing through Rocky Mount, NC< which would
make us quite late. As it turned out there had been numerous delays with freight trains during the
night and we were over 2 hours late. Once dressed I walked 3 cars to the diner where breakfasts
were handed out, including hot sandwiches if requested. I took them to the lounge car to obtain
coffee from the machine and then brought Suzanne's to the room...Arrival at Lorton was about 11:02
(9:00)....(after driving VA-MD-NJ-NY, we) reached home about 7:20 and I was exhausted after the
drive
in heavy traffic.
I . •.-
-&":iL
l-�t
"1'!il:I,,...-
In November 2017, due to ties being replaced on the Desoto Sub, the Texas Eagle was rerouted via
Illinois' Chester Sub for about a week. Here is a view of No.22 (running late) caught at UP's Dupo
Yard. Jim Gillespie photo.
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022
MY MEMORIES By Mike Haper (excerpted) 2010 ("Holiday Season #68)
Pg.9
It is ALWAYS at this time of the year (holiday season) when I begin to harvest a multitude of old
memories from my childhood. Thanksgiving and Christmas ARE special times of the year and most
people do have special memories connected to that season. Are MY own special memories different or
special? I'll let you be the judge of that.
I recall THANKSGIVING being very special for a number of reasons. First, it meant that my Mom would
clean the house...and I mean REALLY clean it. Weusually invited family friends to come to our house
on that day and she would get serious about a NEAT house! Next, it meant a four-day vacation from
school. That alone made it very special! The weather was usually cool, sometimes cold and a gray
cloudy day, too. My favorite time was an hour or two BEFORE the company arrived ("Company"? Why did
we call our visitors "the company"?). The living room was spotless and inviting and I would crouch
into one of Mon's living room straight back chairs at the southwest corner window with some sheets
of sketch paper. I loved to draw and sketch. I would then raise the leaf of the...end-table next to
my chair and proceed to draw pictures...! reveled in watching the neighborhood from my perch at
that corner window and I felt especially warm with the Sx7 framed photo of my Dad sitting next to
my sketch papers....So for about an hour or so I would draw pictures....So there it is, my favorite
Thanksgiving memory: sitting alone...drawing pictures while my Dad's photo watched over me lest I
be threatened by some unknown entity. Ad, of course, the "entity" would show up ringing the door
bell an hour or two later and it was...THE COMPANY!! Ah, my solitude was shattered. But, it was
sure comforting while it lasted.
Christmas: Oh, there are many great memories of Christmas. Where do I begin?...The oldest memories
which I have go all the way back to babyhood. Yep, I recall the Lionel wind-up "Peter Rabbit" train
running around in tight circles on two rail track on a small table in our "master bedroom" (such
that it was)! Since I was just one or two years old, Mom and Dad must have put it in THEIR room so
that they could monitor my playfulness with it. I (also) have GLOWING memories of the early
Christmas trees! They were always REAL trees. Artificial Christmas trees had not "caught on" yet.
The tree always showed up on Christmas morning along with the gifts from Santa Claus. Filling the
house with the wonderful odor of the live PINE, it was a full size tree and it always stood at that
same southwest corner of the living room...yeah, that's right...where the chair and end table stood
(where I sketched) on Thanksgiving day!
I remember the cone shaped Christmas tree lights (now collector's items) and tinsel. I always felt
a special "tingle" about the tinsel! The more of it, the better! But, then there were some special
touches which I recall very clearly. Mom must have inherited these from her parents' Christmases of
the past. We had foil wrapped cardboard bells, something I have never seen again in my lifetime.
And, another special touch was the draping of the tree with some translucent tap-like plastic
material which came off a roll and showed up on the tree every year of my youth until I was about
ten ....1'11 not
forget that look!....
These memories warm me up and I hope that they also gave you some "warm and fuzzy" feelings about
this very special time of the year! Or even better that they caused you to recall some of YOUR
special, and maybe until now forgotten, memories! {Below:Brakeman Mike on RSSM 1999, Gothic in
Chicago, view of CTA/skyline looking E.from Ry.Age)
Pg.10
St Louis Railway Enthusiasts WHISTLE TALK November, 2022 Pg. 11
Captions, previous page: The Chicago Transit Authority celebrated their 75ᵗʰ anniversary in various
ways, but of most interest was the running of heritage_equipment. First shot is of the 4000s
(brown) at the new Washington-Wabash station. The 4000 series cars were built in 1923 (same year as
my house) by Cincinnati Car Co and were retired in 1973. Next, the 6000s train set (a fan favorite)
6711-12 were at the platform on the left. This is the semi-mated pair of cars rebuilt from Pullman
Standard PCCs which the CTA had traded in to St Louis Car Company, and which had been in the NMOT
trolley barn for decades. NMOT Director in the 80s Wayne Schmidt (from Chicago) got the pair for
NMOT, as well as #44, and the first North Shore ferry (trailer-flat-) car. Alongside the 6000s and
in the bottom photo is CTA's heritage set of the ill fated Boeing-Vertol cars. As a bonus shot
(lower left) we have an Indiana Harbor Belt switcher, upon which the brakeman is taking a familiar
pose, in an older photo. Photos courtesy of Eamon Rago of Chicagoland.
Captions, this page: Here is the Missouri Eastern RR EB crossing River Valley Drive, on the
Maryland Heights border, with new transload (propane for now) traffic from Union, MO. MERR has
added a third job: they now have one crew working Lackland-Labadie, where trains are exchanged with
another crew operating from Union-Labadie. A third crew works the interchange and switching around
Lackland. Jaguar Co. has multimillion dollar upgrade plans. Next we see the KCS Shippers Special
train. The middle shot is on the former GM&O Roadhouse-Springfield line (there's also a spur from
Murrayville to Jacksonville); we see the train next to the silo at Murrayville. Finally, we had a
recent surprise visit from the CP inspection train on 10/18 coming in on the KCS across MO and
caught at Granite City. All photos by Scott Nauert.
